SUPERINTENDENT CRITERIA VAGUE, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SAYS.

Byline: Kimberly Kindy Daily News Staff Writer

The Los Angeles Board of Education on Monday released a draft of the criteria it will use to find a new superintendent, but at least one board member said the draft is ``weak'' and ``lacks specifics.''

``It's a bunch of la-di-da, mumbo jumbo, educationspeak,'' said board member David Tokofsky.

``It's vague,'' Tokofsky said. ``It says nothing.''

Tokofsky said the board spent about an hour in closed session developing the list of criteria.

Board President Mark Slavkin conceded that the criteria are at this point general concepts, but he said that was by design.

The draft will be considered for adoption by the school board on June 3, and then given to a 14-member, board-appointed criteria committee that will be charged with coming up with a more specific list of qualifications.

``The committee will be asked to figure out how to translate this into something that more specifically could be used in a selection process,'' Slavkin said.

``This is just a starting point,'' he said.

Superintendent Sid Thompson announced a month ago that he plans to retire when his contract expires on June 30, 1997.

The draft hiring criteria divide qualifications for the new superintendent into two categories, with the first listing beliefs and philosophies and the second outlining personal skills, attributes and experience.

It states that the candidates should accept that the LEARN reform program is the guiding strategic plan for reforming the district, and that schools should have maximum authority, discretion and flexibility over their school programs.

It also calls for the superintendent to have teaching expertise and experience in a leadership position in a large urban school district.

Slavkin said a majority of the board was against the idea of opening the search up to business leaders or other candidates without an education background.

``The strong desire of a clear majority of the board is that we are seeking someone with credentials as an educator, and a leader of a large school district,'' he said. ``That's clearly the preference of a majority of the board.''

Slavkin, Tokofsky and board member Jeff Horton had said previously that they would consider someone outside the education field.

On Monday, only Tokofsky still held that position - and he said he was unhappy the board had chosen to limit the search to educators.

``I'm opposed to that,'' Tokofsky said. ``It really restates this problem with the island mentality public schools have.''

The criteria committee, which will be appointed by the board on June 3, will be asked to make its recommendations by mid-July.

Alan Clayton, director of equal employment opportunity for Los Angeles County Chicano Employees Association, said he would like to see the criteria sharpened to require knowledge and experience in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Clayton has been a part of a strong lobbying force organized by Latino activists in support of promoting Deputy Superintendent Ruben Zacarias of Chatsworth.

``An outsider would have to spend months, if not years, learning this district,'' Clayton said. ``That time could be spent on student achievement or parental involvement, not wasting time on a learning curve.''

The district's chief legal counsel, Rich Mason, said he believes the criteria committee should meet in public because they will not be discussing any particular candidates, only setting qualifications.

Mike Roos, president of the LEARN nonprofit organization, said the entire process should be open - and he suggested eventual finalists for the job have their interviews televised by KLCS-TV, the district-owned public television station.

``I think it would be a great unifying feature to have interviews take place on public television,'' he said.